Quick and Simple System for Tracking Social Media Posts

Hello!

A few months ago I wrote about struggling to consistently post on social media. I was overwhelmed, had no system to show what I was actually accomplishing, and needed a fix that I could squeeze into my day in just minutes! I knew that I did not want to add this tracking to my Life Planner by Erin Condren so I decided to use a Blooms Planner that I had at my house. While this is only my second month using this system, I absolutely LOVE it!

As a little background, I run social media accounts for Teach.Dance.Dream, my dance studio, my college graduating class, and I sometimes post for the dance company I'm involved in. I did not want my planner to be too word heavy but I wanted a way to streamline the way I could look at social media posts.

Side note: everything you see is my super quick, "no one else was going to see this" handwriting! My apologies for not actually making it pretty for the blog! :)

I first created this list of symbols that I would use in the monthly view of my planner. Each shape signifies a social media outlet and I make sure I use a letter to identify which account I am posting on.

At the beginning of the month, I write in specific posts I want to make in pencil. As I post during the month I will either trace the planned posts or write in unplanned posts in pen. On the monthly view I only use symbols and the letter for the account. This allows me to quickly scan at the end of each month to see where my strengths were in posting and which accounts I really need to start using more.

After I make the post I turn to that date and make a quick note about about the content given in that post. I can always go back and look then at how my post was received on that date. In that space I could also jot down likes/hearts, make a note if it was strong content, or anything else I find pertinent. So far I haven't made any of these types of notes, but just a thought for later!

Finally, at the beginning of each month I've been listing my follower numbers on each site so that I can see if my social media posts are actually impacting my reach or if I need to work more on a particular social media platform. At the end of the month I just write a quick +/- if I've gained or lost followers during the month.

Quick tips:
-Use pencil until you make the post. Life happens and I HATE needing to scribble out posts.
-Find symbols that work for you - mine make a lot of sense to me!
-Keep it simple. The reason I only use symbols is so I can see everything easily at the end of the month.

I hope you find this system easy and simple. It just takes a couple of minutes for me and has been so effective. If you have any questions feel free to email me at teachdancedream@gmail.com.

Follow me on Bloglovin' for notifications of more posts!

I plan to be back next weekend with my post on tracking health habits. Have a wonderful week!

Allie

Currently - January 2016

Hi everyone!

I'm super excited to be writing my first blog post of 2016! Let me tell you, this year is going to be BIG! This year I have big plans for my blog, opening my TPT store, and I want to get more involved in other social media outlets (I'm looking at you, Periscope)! I've basically been spending my first weekend of 2016 getting my ducks in a row, but I'm hoping that working on organization right away will help with my 1 big word of the year! I am linking up with Farley at Oh Boy Fourth Grade for the 3rd time.

Fonts: Hello Fonts by Jen Jones

Listening - I know: new year, new everything, but I'm a little over the radio right now and am jamming out to the most random playlist of throwbacks that I could have thrown together! I love most genres of music so my playlists are always all over the place. What's your favorite throwback song?

Loving - Periscope has been blowing up today! I love that I have no school, no dance classes, and no crazy schedule so that I can watch everyone live. Replays are great, but it's much more fun being able to comment!

Thinking - I absolutely love the new year because of all the opportunities that it seems to bring. In fact I love the new year so much that I think there are many "new year" points during the year: January 1st, the end of the school year/my birthday, and the start of a new school year. I use all of those times as great opportunities to reevaluate my goals and visions. I'm ready to make 2016 my year!

Wanting - I've been super motivated to do a lot but still no motivation to go to the gym. I've at least been getting my 10,000 steps at home but I really want to go and use some equipment, especially since I've had a 2 week break from dance classes too. Hopefully the motivation will come around soon. 

Needing - Speaking of this break from dance, January is when I start teaching all of my recital dances to my kiddos for our spring recital in May. The first step in the process is to get the music cut so I can finally start choreographing. Garageband has been sitting on my computer like this for the past 3 hours. I really need to get started!

One little word - I talked about this in my resolutions blog post a bit. I think that I will not only accomplish more but also have more time to connect with the people in my life if I create more systems for efficiency. This may mean cleaning/reorganizing a room, trying a new planner system, or getting an app to help with time management. I took my first step in setting up a budget binder that has room for me to record all needed tax information so that my 2016 taxes will be super easy!

I would love to hear about the start of your year in the comments! What's your 1 word?

Happy New Year!

Allie

New Year's Resolutions: 2016

I can't believe 2015 is already over! It's difficult for me to put 2015 into words - it was a weird transition year. I graduated from college in 2014 so 2015 was my first full year out of college, I did not have a full year teaching position, I was still adjusting to balancing friendships and work life, and overall just trying to find my place. 2015 did bring me into this fabulous world of teacher bloggers and entrepreneurs which I am beyond thankful for! Overall I think 2015 was the year of laying the groundwork for an amazing 2016! There are many projects I've started and many goals I have begun working towards and I think I've done some great work to see those things really take off in 2016.

This brings me to this fabulous link-up hosted by Teach.Talk.Inspire and My Day in K. I cannot wait to share my 2016 resolutions with you so I can be held accountable. I would love for you to comment at the end with your own resolutions or link to your own blog post with your resolutions.

1. Find efficiency - I think efficient will be one of my big words in 2016. Like 90% of the world, I've got a lot going on in my life and it's been difficult for me to find the balance between everything. I want to spend 2016 finding ways to work more efficiently in order to maximize my time and allow more time for the amazing people in my life. Whether I need a new planner system, a different set-up for my room, an app to manage my time, or a clearer meal plan system, I'm all about finding ways to be the most productive person I can be this year.

2. Take care of myself - With the time issues I struggle with comes the lack of time that I spend on myself. I want to put forth more effort this year on working out at the gym more regularly, eating better foods (or eating not so great foods more in moderation), drinking more water, and taking time to reflect on a daily basis.

3. Stay in the moment - My mind is constantly going a million miles a minute. I find myself thinking about work and things to do all of the time. This year I want to be in the moment. If I am taking a dance class, nothing else matters besides that class and my movement. If I am with friends, my lesson planning or choreography can wait until later - no matter how great my idea might be. I want to enjoy the space I'm in and the people I'm with using more intention.

4. Connect more - In 2015, I've gotten lazy when it comes to text people back, emailing back in a timely manner, and making plans in general. It's time for that to be done! I want to make sure that I'm showing the people around me that they are important to me and that means dedicating the time to respond and make plans.

What resolutions have you made for the new year? Comment below or post a comment on my Instagram photo!

I'm guessing this will be my last post of the year but I have MANY preplanned posts for 2016! Follow me on Bloglovin' or Instagram (@teachdancedream) to stay connected!

Enjoy the rest of 2015!

Allie

Custom T-Shirt Designs

I don't know about you, but I have a T-shirt for everything! We have school T-shirts, district T-shirts, one for every club and group in high school and college, and for every dance recital I have every participated in. Let's just say they take up more than a drawer in my house. Yikes! Now that I'm working to build my brand and business, I wanted a shirt that would promote my blog concept: Teach.Dance.Dream. I had no design, no colors, nothing. I wanted to make sure that I was being careful with where I was spending my money to start my brand.

Sorry for the wrinkles! My iron was not working today.

In late September, A+ Images had an amazing deal for bloggers to receive a custom designed shirt. You could upload your logo onto a shirt, or use their custom designer to add fonts and images to a shirt of your choosing. The custom designer was one of the easiest T-shirt design tools that I have worked with. While I went through a couple visions of what I wanted, the program was easy to navigate. In all, I decided on a simple shirt that just had my blog name as text so I could use it as a conversation starter. Once I have my blog designed later on, I knew I would be ordering another shirt.

About a month after this promotion, I went to the Midwest Teacher Blogger Meet Up. Our fabulous No Coast = Best Coast shirts were again a product from A+ Images. We all loved them! Look at how great they look. The ability to upload your own image means you can predesign with your own fonts (yay!) and then put your custom vision onto a shirt in just a few easy steps.

I would highly recommend following A+ Images on their social media sites (Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram) or visiting their website (www.aplusimages.com). Here are my top 4 reasons why:

1. Custom T-shirts made using the custom designer!
2. Teacher Apparel. Yes, they have pre-designed teacher apparel for all grades and many specialties.
3. Classroom shirts are available for your whole class or as a great present for a teacher.
4. Promotions! While the prices for their shirts are great, A+ Images has some amazing promotions for teacher bloggers throughout the year too. Be sure to follow them before the 1st of the year so you don't miss any 2016 promotions!

Allie

Currently - December Edition

Hello everyone!

Wow it has been awhile since I've blogged. Here's an update on what's been going on in my world.

Listening: Christmas music definitely takes over my music library during the holiday season. I love holiday music so much that I have 19.5 HOURS of Christmas music on my computer! Everything from Mariah Carey and Jessica Simpson, to 98 degrees and *NSYNC, to the classic singers like Julie Andrews and Burl Ives. I absolutely love it all!

Loving: The holiday season is by far my favorite time of year. Everything feels cozier and while it is freezing or snowing constantly in Minnesota, a warm blanket and fireplace makes it all better. Not to mention my obsession with hot chocolate escalates. Leading into the new year encourages me to spend time reflecting and reevaluating how I feel about all aspects of my life. I think taking time to reflect and appreciate is important. Somehow the craziness of this season helps me slow down a bit and do just that.

Thinking: Big ideas is for sure. Have you ever taken StrengthsFinder? If not I highly suggest it! One of my top 5 strengths is ideation. Boy is it in full effect right now! I've taken some time to look at the organizations I am involved in and the ways I can help push them into more successful and active directions. I cannot wait to share ideas with people in all of these groups. Now if only I had more ideas for products to really get hustling on my TPT store...

Wanting: I am trying my darnedest to get through "Move Your Bus" by Ron Clark for the THM chat this Friday on Blab at 9pm central. The book is excellent, but unfortunately at the end of these long days all I want is sleep. Tomorrow is my day to power through the rest of the book. Fingers crossed that I am able to finish it!

Needing: Part of the reason I haven't posted on here or Instagram (@teachdancedream) lately is feeling overwhelmed with all of the social media accounts I am supposed to be manning. I just haven't been getting posts up. I need to organize and plan where I am going with everything. I have an idea to help myself. If it works, my plan will be on the blog later this month. 

Real or Faux: Since I can remember, our tree has always been a fake tree. I would love to have a real tree at least once for the experience, but this year was not that year. 

I hope each of you can find the time to balance work, family, and all of the other hats you wear during this time of year!

Head over to Oh Boy Fourth Grade to link up with your own post. As always, I would love for you to follow me on Instagram or Bloglovin' for updates.

Allie

Guest Speakers to Bring to Your Classroom!

Hello!

I had a FANTASTIC week at school this past week and I felt the need to share some of the cool things my students were able to experience. I really worked this week to make our social students unit on Ancient Civilizations as interactive as possible, and we had 2 guest speakers. Both speakers had fabulous content and spoke at an age-appropriate level (which is hard to find in my experience). So let me begin filling you in!

First, Erin Soderberg, author of the series The Quirks and Puppy Pirates, visited our school to talk about her experiences with reading and writing, her story of becoming an author, and to read a small sample of one of her books. The entire presentation was engaging and inspiring for students. There was a clear message that in order to become a better author, you not only need to write more, but you also need to read more. Through reading you understand how other authors build images, construct characters, and use vocabulary.

Photo courtesy of: http://www.erinsoderberg.com/

After the presentation, I began reading her book The Quirks - Welcome to Normal. While I've only gotten into the first 50 pages, the book points out many relatable emotions and invites you into the fantasy world of this family. I highly recommend the book. I also dug a bit into her website and learned that does FREE 20 minute virtual author visits. While she is based out of Minnesota and does travel/visit schools (for a fee - clearly outlined on her website), I just was astounded that she is willing to pop into classrooms via Skype for free. Not only does Erin have these children's book series, she also writes under the name Erin Downing for her Tween, Teen, and Adult books.

Photo courtesy of: http://www.erinsoderberg.com/

The second visitor this week in third grade was a representative from the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota. The speaker presented to the staff in the morning and then a few grade levels later on in the day. I was blown away not only by the information I received in the staff training, but by the number of misconceptions I held about seizures and epilepsy. Did you know that epilepsy is the most common neurological condition in children? 1 in 10 people will have a seizure in their lifetime! I had no idea that seizures were this common. However, I feel much equipped to not only recognize a few of the many types of seizures, but also to react in a way that is helpful.

My students were fascinated with the information they learned from the speaker as well. She made it very kid-friendly and reduced fears and concerns that some children held. After a presentation, she read a book that made the content even more relatable. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the name. While serious events are difficult to discuss with students, I believe that they will now be able to respond better in a scary situation. Our school is now a Seizure Smart School!

The last part of my week that I would like to share with you is our social studies unit. We are currently learning about Ancient Civilizations and started with Ancient Egypt. In order to make the unit a bit more interactive, we wrote our name in hieroglyphics and started an Ancient Civilization suitcase. The suitcase will function as an interactive notebook, although we have not spent much time with it yet.

The hieroglyphic name writing is simple, but every single was of my students was engaged and having fun while learning. Each student started with a copy of a hieroglyphic alphabet that I print from Scholastic as well as part of a brown paper bag. They crumpled up the brown paper bag into a little ball. When they spread the paper back into a flat sheet, they wrote their name in marker after spacing the letters of their name with a pencil. It only took about 10 minutes but the kids loved it and the markers helped make it look older. Check out some of their work below. (Side note: I know this activity is pretty common and it's probably been around Pinterest too - although I do not have an exact name to credit.)

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you all have a wonderful week! As always, follow my blog for updates. You may also find me on Instagram: @teachdancedream.

Allie

Currently - October Edition

Hello everyone!
It has been awhile since I've posted but no worries, I have a lot coming up. This new job has me working hard! (I will get into that below.) This month I am linking up with Farley for Currently.

Listening: On Friday nights that I am home, I LOVE listening to Shelia Jane's blab show. It's a great place to debrief the week and have some fun! While I'm not one that joins in the seats, commenting and watching the GIFs roll by is great. Check it out next week (Fridays at 9pm Central time). You don't need to be a Teach Happy Member to watch. I'm not one yet but I would like to be soon. 

Loving: This was my first full week in my new position (a long term substitute job in 3rd grade) and I am LOVING IT! The staff is warm, welcoming, and supportive. I couldn't ask for any more from them. I was told before I started that this school was definitely a community school and I couldn't agree more. While it's been a little chatty this week, my students are hard working and passionate.

Thinking: Since it's my first week and we had a planning meeting for our early release collaboration, I need to rethink my general schedule and get it in my planning book. I'm hoping to get at least the next two weeks done this week so I can breathe easy for awhile (plus next week is a short week thanks to MEA!).

Wanting: I'm slowly building all the parts of my teacher blogger persona. I'm working to get better at posting regularly, starting a Facebook page, Instagram, Twitter, and TPT store. I want to try and get a few products in my store right away. As soon as I have a couple completed I will start posting. I've also signed up to have my blog redone by L. Paull Designs For All. The redo won't take place until the new year but I'm extremely excited!

Needing: With the new job, staying late to get my act together, and teaching dance classes, sleep has not been a priority this week. I'm hoping for 8 hours tonight so I can start to feel refreshed!

Boo-tiful: Fall leaves are one of the main reasons I like fall. Fall is not my favorite season (unlike most people) but I do love the beauty of leaves changing. One of the best experiences is driving to my Alma Mater during the fall because there are beautiful groves on the drive that are just jaw-droppingly stunning. I get to visit next weekend for a workshop since I am my class president.

Thank you for reading! I've got a few posts coming in the next 2 weeks including one this weekend about the fabulous author visit at my school this past week. For information on when I post, follow me on BlogLovin' or on Instagram (@teachdancedream).

Allie